Cremation in Ireland and Transporting an Urn with Ashes to Ukraine

In brief: 30-second summary.

• There is no specific cremation law in Ireland. Rules and forms are set by each crematorium.
• The cremation application is signed by the executor of the will or the nearest surviving relative.
• A doctor fills out the medical certificate, and the crematorium's doctor (Medical Referee) verifies it. If a coroner is involved in the case, cremation takes place only after their permission.
• At Dublin Cemeteries Trust crematoria, an adult cremation costs 810 € (rates effective from 16 March 2026). Source: DCT price list 2026.
• Transporting the urn to Ukraine costs from 800 €, with no prepayment.

Call +380 77 882 77 77Ask about an urn

Who Gives Consent for Cremation

First, the wishes of the deceased are considered. If they left a will or written wishes for cremation, the family usually follows them.

The Application for Cremation (at Dublin Cemeteries Trust, this is Form B) is signed by the executor of the will or the nearest surviving relative. The signature is witnessed by a third party. The applicant must be at least 16 years old. If the application is submitted by someone other than the executor or the nearest relative, the form must state whether the nearest relative was informed and why you are submitting the application.

Citizenship is not the main factor here. A Ukrainian is cremated using the exact same forms as an Irish citizen.

If the family is in Ukraine, traveling to Ireland is not mandatory. We arrange the cremation through local partners: the funeral director collects signatures and documents, and you sign the application remotely, as agreed with the crematorium. If the cremation has already taken place, we collect the ready urn from the crematorium or from the family.

How Long to Wait for Cremation

We did not find a minimum waiting period from death to cremation in official sources. In practice, the timeline depends on three things: when the doctor signs the certificate, whether the coroner takes the case, and whether there is an available date at the crematorium.

If the death is natural and the doctor has signed the certificate, cremation is usually scheduled within a few days. If the case is with the coroner, the wait can take longer, and no one can promise an exact timeframe. In such cases, the death certificate is also issued later. The coroner provides an interim death certificate for banks and government authorities.

After cremation, the ashes must be collected within 4 weeks. They are collected by the applicant or their representative with an ID document, or by the funeral director with authorization.

Urn for Transport

The crematorium releases the ashes in a standard urn, or you can choose your own. For travel, it is better to have a sturdy, tightly sealed urn that can be easily X-rayed: plastic, wood, or cardboard. A metal or stone urn might not be see-through during airport security screening.

An urn in carry-on baggage is usually transported by prior agreement with the airline. The urn is X-rayed at security. Each airline sets its own rules, so we check them for your flight before booking a ticket.

Can You Transport the Urn Yourself?

Yes, the family can collect the urn and transport it themselves. The law does not prohibit this.

Problems happen in practice. An airline may not approve the urn in the cabin. The urn might not pass the X-ray scan and may have to be opened, which families usually want to avoid. At the Ukrainian border, officials may ask for documents with an apostille and translation. If something is missing, the urn is held until the matter is clarified.

Entrust the transport to us if no one from the family can travel to Ireland, if the documents are not ready yet, or if you do not want to take risks at security screening.

Burial of the Urn in Ukraine

In Ukraine, an urn can be buried in a grave, interred in an existing family grave, or placed in a columbarium. This requires permission from the cemetery, and for a family grave, the grave ownership documents as well. Read more about this separately: urn burial. Make arrangements with the cemetery in advance while the urn is still in transit.